A new partnership of municipalities and agencies is hoping to draw tourists to Southern Nevada for the purposes of birding and wildlife watching.

By providing important travel information, the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership is hoping that many people will visit areas along the US 93/95 corridors to enjoy natural sites known for wildlife species.

Cherie Westbrook, with the Laughlin Visitors Bureau, spearheaded the Partnership with the assistance of Steve Weaver and Barbara Rhode of Cathedral Gorge State Park.

In an effort to increase visitation, Westbrook decided to capitalize on the natural attractions of this riverfront city. Many people enjoy birding around the Laughlin area, where nearly 300 different species can be found.

Armed with the necessary information, birding enthusiasts can plan their visits to make use of the city's other amenities as well.

The partnership was created when Westbrook called together a variety of organizations in order to apply for a grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

The commission hopes to garner visitors by calling attention to Nevada's unique birding sites and tagging them "wildly unexpected." The grant will provide funds for maintaining a website and providing brochures to area visitor centers.

Partners include the Laughlin Tourism Committee, Outside Las Vegas Foundation, Red Rock Audubon Society, Nevada State Parks, Nevada Department of Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Southern Nevada Water Authority, as well as local business owners.

This unique partnership has decided to focus on the U.S Highway 93 and 95 corridors, from Laughlin to Ely, and Las Vegas to Tonopah, as these areas contain the best birding and wildlife viewing sites.

Sites include Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Clark County Wetlands Park, Overton Wildlife Management Area, Pahranaghat National Wildlife Refuge, Cathedral Gorge State Park, and Great Basin National Park.

The partnership intends to bring together two vital properties Nevada has to offer; the beautiful open areas with a rich diversity of bird and wildlife species, and the economic forces of tourism and outdoor recreation.

In the pilot stages at this time, the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership project provides information on its website at www.snbwtp.org.

Brochures that advertise the area's wildlife viewing opportunities are in development. Future tasks include broader advertisement efforts, the distribution of information about species found along local hiking trails, and a tie-in to the Las Vegas Valley Open Space Plan. With relocation and visitation to southern Nevada at an all-time high, the partnership will serve the outdoor recreational needs of the public.